UNCA Kellogg Center at 1181 Broyles Road, Hendersonville, North Carolina.

It's a beautiful place, and I am grateful to UNCA for allowing the public to use it. I use it often for exercise when I cannot make it to a more strenuous hike.

However, owners with any size dogs use the place for a dog park, and the dogs often play in packs on the field just off the conference center, run down the trails free, and some have stopped and growled as I approach. One large poodle, Pierre?, even caught a friend's hand in its mouth without breaking the skin. Dogs have jumped on me, and the owners often ignore my request to leash their charges. One even retorted, "Well everyone else is doing it". The last time I was there, two women were talking (one had her dog leashed), and a 50 lb. dog bounded out of the woods and clipped my knee, bruising it for a few days.

I like all animals, but so many of those owners are plainly inconsiderate with their dogs. Although there are no large signs stating "All pets must be on leashes" - except on the huge billboard in size 8 font on the brochure posted inside the glass which is ignored by most people - it is state property where the leash law is in effect.

Be aware of this. And, often there's plenty of poop left on the trails. Owners will just do what they want with their dogs, not being mindful of the effect on the rest of us.

Again, I am grateful to UNCA for allowing the public to use this creative, beautiful space. It's too bad that several have taken it over as their own to allow their not very well-behaved dogs to run free.